Chatham University
Pittsburgh, PA

Cultivating Globally-Aware “World Ready Women”
Find out about Chatham’s award-winning internationalization efforts both in and out of the classroom.

Understanding our global community and the growing socioeconomic relationships between countries large and small relies upon more than what you might read in a textbook. Chatham University’s emphasis on global awareness helps you explore the world’s communities both in and out of the classroom – and sometimes “out of the classroom” means “outside the U.S.”

Global Focus Program
Begun in 1995, the Global Focus Program at Chatham University concentrates on one region of the world each year to enable the college community to engage in a comprehensive study of that region through coursework, class assignments, campus events, community activities, co-curricular programs and service learning projects. By the time she graduates, a Chatham undergraduate will have been immersed in four world regions in her curriculum work and co-curricular activities.

The Global Focus program, during which the entire Chatham community spends an academic year exploring in depth the history, culture and people of a segment of the world, has been a hallmark of the Chatham University experience for a nearly a decade. The Global Focus Year of the Communities of Islam received the Institute of International Education’s (IIE) 2002-2003 Andrew Heiskell Award for Innovation in International Education.

Students, faculty and staff work together in planning campus events, selecting speakers and lecture topics, and engaging in collaborative academic assignments. Through the “All-Campus Read,” a novel tied into the Global Focus Year is selected for the campus community to read. The All-Campus Author is then invited to visit the campus, interact with students in their classes, as well as give a public lecture. In addition, throughout the academic year, several art gallery exhibitions and student theater performances embrace and feature the focus region.

Past Global Focus regions included Africa; Central America, the Caribbean and Mexico; Japan; Eastern Europe; North and South Ireland; South Asia; South America, Brazil and the Andes; the Communities of Islam; American Identities in a Global Context, Latin America, India and China.

Chatham Abroad
All Chatham students are encouraged to study abroad. Study abroad is an enriching, life-changing experience and your interest in studying abroad demonstrates a highly desirable trait: intellectual curiosity. Spending time abroad opens a window to a world of opportunity for deepening your understanding and knowledge of political, international, economic and global issues. Apart from the academic enhancement and personal growth, students who have studied abroad possess skills that are valued in today’s competitive workplace – a global perspective, second language acquisition, cross cultural communication skills, and the ability to adapt to new environments.

The Chatham Abroad program offers eligible Chatham sophomores the experience of international study and travel as an integral part of their Chatham degree program for very little additional cost. Chatham Abroad includes a series of academic courses focused on interdisciplinary topics, taught by Chatham faculty during the Maymester term. The courses, topics, and foreign sites vary from year to year, depending on faculty interests and experiences, the global economy, and current international political conditions.

Recently students have traveled to London, Belize, Guatemala, Eastern Europe, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, Greece, Morocco, Costa Rica, and India. Examples of past sophomore interim abroad programs:

• Ruins, Rainforest and Reefs in Belize – led by a psychologist and an English professor
• Transitional Cultures in Eastern Europe – led by a filmmaker and a mathematician
• Women and Leadership in Ireland – led by professors of political science and history
• The Castles, Clans and Cultures of Scotland – led by professors of French literature and education

Chatham University believes that providing students with a strong global perspective is critical as the world becomes ever more technologically and economically interconnected. Our commitment to internationalizing the campus has an across the curriculum approach, providing curricular and co-curricular experiences on campus and abroad, and involving all students regardless of major and all faculty regardless of discipline or teaching area.

The primary goal of Chatham’s internationalization experience is to provide an array of opportunities for every student regardless of major or discipline and to provide a campus environment conducive to training ‘world ready women.’ Chatham students and alumnae often describe their Chatham experience has one of transformation and, inevitably, this metamorphosis includes some element of an international experience that touches everyone.

Chatham University provides its almost 1,600 students – both undergraduate and graduate – with a solid education built upon strong academics, public leadership and global perception. Chatham’s graduate programs, continuing education and certification programs provide women and men with advanced education for professional careers. Founded in 1869, Chatham is a small university with a women’s college at its core. The 35-acre arboretum campus is located on historic Woodland Road in the Shadyside section of Pittsburgh.

For more information call 800-837-1290
or visit www.chatham.edu.